Lever screw for top-roll weighting devices



L. T. HOUGHTON LEVER SCREW FOR TOP ROLL WEIGHTING DEVICES Jan. 1, 1924 Filed June 12. 1922 fizz/273x291: L. j'foughto7z ,za v altar-W7 5.

Patented .lan. l, 1924.

UNETEfi fiTATES lhlmfiiil FATENT @FFZWE.

LEWIS T. HOU'GHTON', 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEVER SCREW FOR TOP-ROLL WEIGH'IING DEVICES.

Application filed June 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS T. HOUGHTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Lever Screw for Top-Roll Weighting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the lever screw used as a fulcrum for the weighted lever employed for exerting pres sure on the top rolls ofa spinning frame or the like.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a lever screw which is automatically locked in position preventing the screw from turning and lowering the lever; to provide a construction of this character which will consist of two parts only, each capable of being manufactured cheaply and assembled rapidly and in which the two parts, although relatively movable, are permanently connected together so that there is no part that can be lost. or misplaced; and especially to provide an improvement in the method of connecting the lever support with the screw itself.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a part of a spinning frame showing a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto and illustrating its connection with the saddle on the top rolls;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the lever screw and its eye;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the same;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the bottom flange of the eye-piece'with the screw removed; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the-head of the screw.

The invention is shown as applied to the roller beam in the usual way forming a fulcrum for the lever 10 which is weighted by a weight 11 and connected by a stirrup 12 over a saddle 13 which rests on the shafts of the top rolls 1 1 of the machine. The lever screws that have been used heretofore have many of them been open to the objection that the screws would gradually unscrew and let the levers down and unless adjusted the levers would rest on the roller beam thereby removing the weight from the top rolls. In the lever screws in general use, a wire passed through the screw and was headed over. In time this head wore and 1922. Serial No. 567,621.

the wire was drawn into the screw thereby letting down the levers. It was the common practice to have the screws turned tightly into the roller beam so that the jar of the frame and the constant pull on the screw would not let them turn and lower the levers. Then the constant wear of the bearings of the lever and stirrup was such that an easy means should be provided to take up the wear. This was accomplished by the Speakman lever screw which had another point of wear worse than all the others, i. e. the headed over end of wire passing through the screw. There is the wearing of the several parts of the combination where this wear would let the levers down and also the turning of the screw (that is worse than the wear) that required an easy take up. Before the Speakman screw, there was no easy way to take up this wear. lever had to be removed to turn the screw which frequently required lots of time as the weight would sometimes drop. The Speakman lever screw provided a quick take up of wear but it also added more parts to.

wear and the screws turn unless tightly fitted, causing more trouble than the wear- 111g.

My device removes wear of the headed over end of the Speakman screw and it provides a look so that the screw will not turn without using a wrench. This locking feature permits an easy fit of the screws in the roller beam so that they can be turned into position by thumb and finger when the looking feature is not in operation, dispensing with the use of a wrench. This saves much time in assembling-the parts into position. The cost of drilling or boring through lengthwise of the screw is eliminated which is a very expensive operation.

In order to avoid the above mentioned difliculty and secure the advantages of a very cheap construction, I provide the lever screw 20 itself in a simple form having an ordinary head 21 and flat flange 22 omitting the drilling or boring of these screws as generally used. On the bottom of this flange I have shown three radial projections 23, although I do not wish to be limited to that particular number. This constitutes the whole of the screw itself.

The eye-piece 25 consists of a piece of sheet metal cut out to shape so as to have a horizontal bottom flange 26 of a general semi-circular shape and provided with a The - a. rectangular central unthreaded perforation for the screw. This flange also has the same number of depressions 27 as the bottom of the screw head has, projections 23 and located radially and in the same relation to each other as the projections, that is, spaced equally apart.

At the back this eye-piece extends up vertically back of the screw and spaced from the flange 21' andjthen extends inwardly at an angle upover the top of the screw forming an arm 28. This arm is provided with vertical perforation 29 through which the end: of the lever 10 projects and the top of which perforation constitutes the bearing for thetop of the lever. It will be noted that. the arm 28 is bent in- W-ardly enough so that after the parts are assembled the screw cannot be dislodged from the eyepiece or vice versa. This results in providing a self-contained device, neither of the parts of which can be detached from the other without breaking them.

Tnthe use. of the. device the screw is screwed in as far as may be desired and at the completion of every third of a revolution it is locked in position. This is caused by the projections 23 entering the depressions 27, all of which register in all three locking positions. This being the case, the device is easily adjustedone-third of a revolution and the. eye-piece held against twisting on the screw.

In .additionto these advantages, the device is very simple and inexpensive to make as both pieces can be punched up in a pres. except forthe formation of the screw thread, which, of course, has to be provided in all these devices. The provision of projections and depressions at 120; degrees apart gives a compartivelyfine adjustment for the looking; of the eyepiece at every 120 degrees of rotation of the screw. This is tine enough for all ordinary purposes.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single form ofthe invention,-I am aware of the fact that modifications can be madetherein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Therefore I donot wish to be limited to all the details of construction shown and described but what I do claim is 1. The combination of a lever support ng piecewith a screw and an automatic locking means comprising co-operating parts on the screw and supporting piece to prevent the screw from being turned by the lifting strain of the lever and the jar or vibration of the frame when in operative positon and being movable to a positon permitting easy turning of the screw to compensate for wear on its bearing parts.

2. As an article of manufacture, a lever screw for forming a fulcrum for a lever comprising a head and a lever supporting piece having locking means co-operating with the head to prevent the easy turning of the screw when in one position and when in another position permitting the screw to be turned and adjusted to take up the wear and maintain the lever in its normal horizontal position.

3. As an article of manufacture, a lever screw for the purpose described coniprising two parts, a screw and an eye-piece, said parts being permanentlv connected together but relatively movable and having means whereby the eye-piece is locked to the screw when the screw has been turned through a pre-determined part of a revolution.

4. As an article of manufacture, a lever screw for the purpose described consisting oftwo connected parts. a screw and an eyepiece, said parts having integral means whereby the eye-piece is locked to the screw when the screw has been adjusted to the desired position.

' 5. As an article of manufacture, a lever screw having'a head provided with projections underneath the same. and an eye-piece of sheet metal provided with radial depressions for receiving said projections and locking the screw and with an upwardly extending portion having an eye opening and bent back over the screw to prevent dislodgement of the screw therefrom.

6. As an article of manufacture, a lever screw for connection with the lever for weighting the top rolls of a spinning frame LEW'TS T. HOUGHTON. 

